Eddie Alvarez - photo courtesy of Bellator
Officials today announced the full fight card for Saturday’s Bellator 39 event.
Bellator Lightweight World Champion Eddie Alvarez will defend his title this Saturday, April 2 against Season 2 Lightweight Tournament champion Pat Curran.
Former Welterweight world champion Lyman “Cyborg” Good will take on undefeated Judo Olympian Rick Hawn in a Season 4 Welterweight semifinal fight.
In a Season 4 Lightweight semifinal, 2009 Submission of the Year winner Toby Imada will face Brazilian phenom and one half of “The Pitbull Brothers”, Patricky Pitbull – who is fresh off of a stunning TKO of former World Champion Razor Rob McCullough.
Additionally, UFC veteran Ben Saunders will make his highly anticipated return to the cage in his Bellator debut against upset-minded Matt Lee.
Bellator 39 takes place on April 2 at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., and airs on MTV2.
“This is one of the most talent-filled events we’ve ever produced – headlined by a World Title Fight featuring Eddie Alvarez, one of the top pound-for-pound fighters on the planet,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Pitbull vs. Imada and Good vs. Hawn both look like they will be spectacular fights as well. This should be an amazing night of fights”
Although Alvarez is currently riding a six-fight win-streak in a 21-2 professional record and is widely considered on of the top lightweights in the sport, he says that there is more pressure than ever to win this fight.
“I need to live up to my own expectations. More than any fight in my career – in this fight with Pat Curran – I just want to completely dominate,” said Alvarez. “It has nothing to do with Pat; it’s just what I feel like I have to do regardless of who I’m fighting, in order to earn my rank of number one in the world. I won’t be happy with anything less than complete and total domination.”
Curran says that the prospect of fighting Eddie has made all the difference in preparing for the fight.
“I’ve been dreaming every night about this Bellator World Championship fight with Eddie Alvarez. I think about it in the morning, all day, when I go to bed, and in my dreams,” said Curran. “I’m coming out there to shock the world. I’m going to stand right in front of Eddie [Alvarez] and I’m going to let my hands fly. I have all the confidence in the world that I can beat Eddie Alvarez so now it’s up to me to go out there and do it.”
To which the confident defending champion replied, “If I had a quarter for every time someone said they were going to stand with me and knock me out, I wouldn’t have to fight for a living. Pat [Curran] may be saying he wants to stand in front of me, but that would be a stupid, stupid game plan. He won’t be standing in front of me for long.”
The finalized Bellator 39 fight card:
MAIN CARD:
Eddie Alvarez (21-2) vs. Pat Curran (13-3)
Lyman Good (11-1) vs. Rick Hawn (10-0)
Toby Imada (29-15) vs. Patricky Pitbull (8-1)
Ben Saunders (9-3-2) vs. Matt Lee (13-9)
UNDERCARD:
Matt Veach (12-3) vs. Rene Nazare (6-0)
Greg Rebello (12-2) vs. Dan Cramer (5-2)
Mike Winters (4-0) vs. Ryan Quinn (4-2)
David Jansen (14-2) vs. Scott McAfee (10-2)
John McLaughlin (3-0) vs. Blair Tugman (5-3)
